Bacoor, Province of Cavite, Calabarzon, Philippines

🇵🇭 Bacoor, officially the City of Bacoor, is a 1st class component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. It is the 14th most populous city in the Philippines  and the second largest city in the province of Cavite.

History Bacoor was one of the flashpoints of the Cavite Mutiny of 1872. Bacoor's parish priest at that time, Fr. Mariano Gómez, was one of the GOMBURZA trio implicated in the mutiny for advocating the secularization of priesthood in the Philippines. He and the rest of GOMBURZA were executed at Bagumbayan in 1872. The death of the GOMBURZA served as the inspiration for Jose Rizal's El Filibusterismo, which in turn influenced the ignition of the Philippine Revolution.

During the Philippine Revolution against Spain in 1896, Bacoor was one of the first towns in Cavite to rise up. A Katipunan chapter, codenamed Gargano, led by Gil Ignacio from barrio Banalo, started the hostilities in Bacoor on September 2, 1896, three days after the revolution began.

On February 17, 1897, General Emilio Aguinaldo's 40,000-strong force confronted a 20,000-strong Spanish reinforcement at the Zapote River. The Katipuneros reinforced the southern bank of the river with trenches designed by Filipino engineer Edilberto Evangelista.

Edilberto Evangelista was known as the "Engineer of the revolution" and the "Hero of the revolution". They also blew up the Zapote Bridge with explosives which killed several Spaniards crossing it and thereby preventing them from reaching Cavite and forcing them to retreat to Muntinlupa. Despite the Filipino victory, they lost the brilliant Evangelista who was killed in action.

However, after the Spanish counteroffensive in May 1897, Bacoor and the rest of Cavite finally fell to the Spaniards, forcing Aguinaldo and his men to retreat to Biak-na-Bato.

American invasion era With the Philippine declaration of independence from Spain on June 12, 1898, hostilities reignited in Cavite and Bacoor was designated as the first capital of Emilio Aguinaldo's revolutionary government until it was transferred to Malolos, Bulacan in August 1898, a month before the convening of the Malolos Congress.

The Zapote Bridge became the site once again of another battle on June 13, 1899, this time between Philippine and American troops. An American force of 1,200 men supported by naval gunfire from the American squadron in Manila Bay crushed a 5,000-strong Filipino force led by General Pío del Pilar. Zapote Bridge's special place in Philippine history is depicted today in Bacoor's city seal.

On October 15, 1903, the Philippine Commission enacted Act No. 947, merging Bacoor and Perez-Dasmariñas with Imus. Bacoor was reconstituted as an independent municipality on October 24, 1906 by virtue of Act No. 1551, thus separating it from Imus.

Japanese occupation era During World War II, in 1942, Japanese occupation forces entered Bacoor and other towns of Cavite province. From May 7, 1942, to August 15, 1945, many Caviteños joined the Cavite Guerrilla Unit (CGU), a recognised guerrilla group headed by Colonel Mariano Castañeda.

This group would eventually become the Filipino-American Cavite Guerrilla Forces (FACGF). Colonel Francisco Guerrero and the FACGF's 2nd Infantry Regiment was put in charge of Japanese resistance in Bacoor.

The FAGCF, together with Filipino soldiers under the 4th, and 42nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Commonwealth Army liberated and recaptured Bacoor and 4th Constabulary Regiment of the Philippine Constabulary was defeated the Japanese Imperial Army forces from January 1, to August 15, 1945, during the Allied liberation of the Philippines.

Philippine independence In 1972, Bacoor became a centre of commemoration for the centennial of the martyrdom of the Gomburza and its beloved parish priest Padre Mariano Gomes. The celebrations were headed by Mayor Pablo Gomez Sarino, a relative of Fr. Gomes, which included the turnover of a historical marker to the town of Bacoor.

On June 21, 1988, Mayor Angelito Miranda was assassinated in front of a hospital in Las Piñas by two gunmen, which the police claimed to be from a notorious drug syndicate.

Geography Bacoor is strategically located at the gateway to Metro Manila. A sub-urban area, the city is located 5 km (3.1 mi) from Imus and 15 km (9.3 mi) south-west of Manila, on the south-eastern shore of Manila Bay, at the north-west portion of the province with an area of 52.4 square kilometers.

It is bordered to the east by Las Piñas and Muntinlupa, to the south by Dasmariñas, to the west by Kawit and Imus, and to the north by Bacoor Bay an inlet of Manila Bay. Bacoor is separated from Las Piñas by the Zapote River and from Imus and Kawit by Bacoor River.

Most of the city is composed of flat, formerly agricultural lands, with some areas such as the coastal barangays of Zapote, Talaba, Niog, and Panapaan lying below sea level. Some barangays such as Molino and Queens Row are situated on the hills that form valleys along the upstream portion of Zapote River.

Geography: Barangays Bacoor is politically subdivided into 73 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

These barangays are grouped into two local electoral districts officially called Bacoor West and Bacoor East, which are represented in the city council by their respective councilors. However, the city government has officially abandoned such name designation for the electoral districts and has released edicts officially calling them as District 1 and District 2, respectively.: Bacoor West (District 1) • Alima • Aniban I • Aniban II • Aniban III • Aniban IV • Aniban V • Banalo • Camposanto • Daang Bukid • Digman • Dulong Bayan • Habay I • Habay II • Kaingin • Ligas I • Ligas II • Ligas III • Mabolo I • Mabolo II • Mabolo III • Maliksi I • Maliksi II • Maliksi III • Niog I • Niog II • Niog III • Panapaan I • Panapaan II • Panapaan III • Panapaan IV • Panapaan V • Panapaan VI • Panapaan VII • Panapaan VIII • Poblacion • Real I • Real II • Salinas I • Salinas II • Salinas III • Salinas IV • San Nicolas I • San Nicolas II • San Nicolas III • Sineguelasan • Talaba I • Talaba II • Talaba III • Talaba IV • Talaba V • Talaba VI • Talaba VII • Zapote I • Zapote II • Zapote III • Zapote IV • Zapote V; Bacoor East (District 2) • Bayanan • Mambog I • Mambog II • Mambog III • Mambog IV • Mambog V • Molino I • Molino II • Molino III • Molino IV • Molino V • Molino VI • Molino VII • Queens Row Central • Queens Row East • Queens Row West.

Demographics In the 2020 census, the population of Bacoor, was 664,625 people, with a density of 14,000 inhabitants per square kilometre or 36,000 inhabitants per square mile. It is the second most populous city in the province after Dasmariñas.

The city is a bedroom community of Metro Manila which owes its large population to the influx of low and middle-income settlers who availed of the various housing projects and subdivisions in it.

Religion Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion in Bacoor. It is part of the Diocese of Imus and is the seat of the Vicariate of St. Michael the Archangel and the Vicariate of Santo Niño de Molino. One of Bacoor's notable parish priests was Fr. Mariano Gómez, one of the GOMBURZA trio implicated in the Cavite Mutiny who served as parish priest at the Bacoor parish church from 1824 to his death in 1872. Another notable priest who served the parish of Bacoor was St. Ezekiel Moreno at the time when it was still part of the vast hacienda of the Recollects. He tirelessly provided the Last Rites to the victims of a cholera plague which affected the towns of Bacoor and Imus and was responsible for the rehabilitation of the Molino Dam to irrigate the rice fields of Bacoor and Las Piñas.

During the Philippine Revolution, many of Bacoor's original inhabitants became members of the Philippine Independent Church, also known as the Aglipayan Church, the religious arm of General Emilio Aguinaldo's government. Bacoor is one of the first places in the Philippines to join the new Aglipayan movement, and the Catholic priest at that time, Fr. Fortunato Clemeña, became the first Aglipayan priest of Bacoor, as well as the first Aglipayan Bishop of Cavite, during the Aglipayan Schism. Most of the first members of the church in Bacoor were Katipuneros headed by General Mariano Noriel, who is also the first president of the laymen organization. The conversion of Father Clemeña eventually led to the occupation of the old parish church of Bacoor by the Philippine Independent Church, whose occupation ended in 1907 by order of the Philippine Supreme Court ruling in favor of the Catholic Church for illegally-occupied church property. After this recovery, the Roman Catholics exerted efforts in the early 20th century to revive its numbers in the town through the revitalization of its fiesta and the establishment of new traditions. Despite this, and the influx of largely non-Aglipayan migrants from Manila and from other provinces, the presence of the Aglipayan church is still evident in the city. The Aglipayan Diocese of Cavite's Cathedral in Barangay Digman, which is also dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, is situated a few blocks away from the town's Catholic church. It is the second dominant religion in Bacoor.

Bacoor also has a significant population of Muslims, mostly middle-class Maranao traders and merchants, with a minority of Badjao fishing communities. Several mosques cater to the local Muslim community of Bacoor, the largest being Masjid As-Salaamah, opposite Zapote market. A number of Protestant and other Christian denominations also have a presence in the city.

Commerce Bacoor is currently experiencing a rapid shift from an agriculture-based economy to a residential/commercial urban centre. Nowadays, retail, manufacturing, banking and service sectors are Bacoor's primary income earners. Commercial activities are sporadic throughout the city ranging from wholesale to retail establishments, restaurants and eateries, hardware and construction supplies and other service-related industries, especially those located in SM City Bacoor where it serves as the city's main income earner. The mostly residential area of Molino is also home to SM Center Molino at the corner of Molino Road and Daang Hari. The entrance area from the Coastal Road to Aguinaldo Highway in Talaba and the area surrounding the Zapote Public Market (now the Bacoor Public Market) are other commercial centers. Bacoor has branches of 11 different commercial banks all over the city.

Meanwhile, agricultural area has lessened to only 100 hectares while fishponds which likewise decreased to almost half of the original 760 hectares. Salt production, fishing, oyster and mussel culture, which are now being threatened to near extinction because of pollution and overpopulation, are the other sources of income of the residents. These industries are also threatened by the construction of the Cavite Coastal Road Extension which directly affected the Bacoor shoreline.

Land use Land use developments in Bacoor include a proposed industrial village in Barangay Niog which will include light cottage industries with supporting residential and commercial facilities. A vast tract of land in Molino area, on the other hand, is envisioned to host residential, institutional and commercial facilities. Dubbed as the New Bacoor, the land use plan in Molino seeks to utilise the area not only as a dormitory for individuals who work in Metro Manila but also for people who have migrated to Bacoor in search of economic advancement.

Transport Bacoor is described as a bedroom community with most of its citizens commuting to and from Metro Manila to work. The city is the connected to Metro Manila by expressways like CAVITEX and Muntinlupa–Cavite Expressway, national roads like Aguinaldo Highway (N62/N419) and Quirino Avenue (N62) in the north, and other major thoroughfares like Daang Hari and Marcos Alvarez Avenue. It is also the terminus of the Aguinaldo Highway and Tirona Highway which connects the city to the rest of Cavite. Common forms of transportation are buses, mini-buses, public utility vans, jeepneys.

Due to the congestion of Bacoor's major thoroughfares and overpopulation, the city suffers from daily heavy traffic. This is expected to be eased in the future with the construction of the Manila Light Rail Transit System's southern terminus in the city. The LRT 1 South Extension project would see the LRT-1 extended from Baclaran in Pasay to Niog in Bacoor. The project's estimated cost is P65 billion.

On September 12, 2014, the Benigno Aquino III administration awarded the contract for the construction of the LRT 1 South Extension project to the Light Rail Manila Consortium, which is composed of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, AC Infrastructure Holdings Corp. (a subsidiary of Ayala Corporation), Sumitomo Corporation, and Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd.

The groundbreaking for the LRT Line 1 South Extension Project was held on Thursday, May 4, 2017, with the actual construction officially commencing on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, after the right-of-way became "free and clear" from obstructions. The extension is slated for partial operations by late 2024 or early 2025 and full operations by second quarter of 2027. Once fully operational, Bacoor will be served by the LRT-1 via the future Niog station.

Bacoor is also part of the proposed Cavite–Laguna Expressway (CALAX) which will be funded through debt financing. Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), which will undertake the construction of CALAX, has announced it will borrow P30 billion for the project. MPTC president Rodrigo Franco "said the firm will partner with local banks for debt financing by earlier next year".

Accredited Transportation Cooperatives as of January 2021: • Bacoor Transport Service and MultiPurpose Cooperative • City of Bacoor TODA Transport Service and Multipurpose Cooperative (COBTODA TSMPC) • City Tranz Transport Service Cooperative • Diamond Transport Service Cooperative • Gardenia Kapit Bisig Multi-Purpose Transport Service Cooperative • Gawaran Multi-Purpose Transport Service Cooperative • Golden Transport Service Multi-Purpose Cooperative • Guardians Police Bantay Pamilya Transport Cooperative (GPBTC) • Kabisig Multi-Purpose Tranport Service Cooperative • Kabite Allied Transport Service (KATSERV) Cooperative • Magnificat Transport Cooperative • Molino Ayala Transport Service Cooperative (MATSC) • Multivan Transport Service Cooperative • New Bacoor Cityhood Transport Service Cooperative • Queens Row Transport Service Cooperative • South Metro Transport Cooperative • Zapote-Molino-Paliparan (ZMP) Transport Service Cooperative

Health To address the health concerns of the city's ageing population and urban poor population, several public and private hospitals have been established in the city. The local government also initiated a discount program for senior citizens in city wherein they can avail of discounted medical care and medicines in hospitals in and outside of Bacoor.

Along with a number of small private clinics, Bacoor has one major public hospital and seven major private hospitals: • Bacoor District Hospital • Bacoor Doctors Medical Center • Crisostomo General Hospital • Metro South Medical Center • Molino Doctors Hospital • Southeast Asian Medical Center • St. Dominic Medical Center • St. Michael Medical Hospital

Public safety The Bacoor Traffic Management Department (BTMD) and the Bacoor Public Safety Unit are the main agencies tasked for maintaining peace and order in the city. The Bacoor Police Station, a component of the Cavite Police Provincial Office under the Philippine National Police, assists them in this regard. Given the status of the BTMD as the highest office in the local bureaucracy (with the status of a department), it has been entrusted by the city government to oversee ordinance implementation city-wide with the PNP playing second fiddle.

Education As a bedroom community, Bacoor is home to public and private education institutions. There are 27 public elementary schools and seven public high schools throughout the city. Students in the public school sector study under the K–12 curriculum. There are numerous privately run elementary schools and high schools. Several private colleges offer academic as well as technical-vocational education.

The city is home to two universities: University of Perpetual Help System DALTA and a campus of the Cavite State University.